It was a very cold damp morning in Brest, quite a difference to the last time I was here. We got on the road around 8-8:30 but after a few false starts so Simon could turn his radio off after a lot of interference. We got going, waving goodbye to Brest and making our way toGomel. At the start there was a big sense of déjà vu as I was on the same road out of Brest – the very long straight M1 as I was on last year. Not long after this and only within 30 miles or so we turned off to the M10 which would take us all the way to Gomel. The road was very unadventurous but with changing scenery and ever changing road surfaces it did give me something to admire.

We knew today was going to be a long one so we stopped off around every 100 miles or so. At one of our stops we had the rolls that we had snaffled from the Etap hotel in Krakow. While we were there we befriended 2 stray dogs where they seemed to have made the rest area their home. Hungry ourselves we were still happy to share our lunch with them both. While we were eating a truck pulled into the rest area and a friendly Byelorussian called Andre climbed out to say hello.

After about 20 minutes we were on the road again. Still it was after noon and the sun came out and everything started to warm up – including Simon who had been so cold this morning he was almost an ice block !

It was a pleasant afternoon as we drove into Gomel – that seemed like a lively and busy town. But mind you it was near rush hour.

We found a hotel called Paradise near the city train station. Simon went to see if he could secure a room and I guarded the vehicles. I have never had my photo taken so many times; I don’t think they get many adventurous like us in this neck of the woods.

Still I can’t complain – I enjoyed it. On Simon’s return he came with the good news that he had secured a room. And a none too shabby one at that! Apparently he had secured the last room at the inn – a VIP Apartment style one. That evening we had a brief walk to see a bit of the city. We had a beer in a small beer tent near the hotel. Dinner was once again very nice and cheap – I had what looked like chopped meat and potatoes served in a very hot pot.